New French motoring law put back to 2013

October 24, 2012

Motorhome and campervan enthusiasts planning to spend time in France over the coming months no longer need to carry DIY breathalyser kits with them, as French law makers defer the introduction of a new law.

After several years of fatality and serious injury increases on French roads law makers decided to lower the drink driving limit to fifty milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood, and to make it a requirement of French law that motorists, with the exception of moped riders, should carry a breathalyser kit in their vehicle at all times. The law was due to be introduced on November 13th and motorhome users in the UK had been warned to add the necessary kit to other motoring accessories such as warning triangles, spare bulbs, fluorescent jackets and your motorhome insurance certificate that are all legal requirements for motorists in France.

It appears that the new law on breathalysers will now enter the statute book in March 2013 and Neil Greig, Director of Policy and Research at the Institute of Advanced Motorists, still thinks it is a welcome addition saying “The new French rule is a genuine attempt to reduce the number of alcohol-related accidents. France’s lower limit means it’s very easy to be over the limit the morning after as well. As always, the best advice for road users is not to drink and drive at all.”

If and when the law is introduced cross channel ferries are expected to carry stocks of breathalysers so visitors from the UK will have the chance to comply with French law as soon as they dock. It is vitally important that travellers to France ensure the breathalysers kits they buy are compliant with French standards as the drink drive limits are different to those in the UK.